Profile:

Gardeners' Notes:

In Anderson's book "The Cactus family" 2001, it states that the main flower color for all the varieties he lists is simply Yellow. But there are apparently shades of red that are within the varieties also, which could be possibly considered as a cultivar or a sub-variety or a forma, etc.

This is one of many opuntias that can be grown very easily in the UK.
I spent ages constructing a huge raised bed with gritty, gravelly soil - 20 tons of it -specially for cacti and other succulents, but a friend near me has been growing this plant in ordinary clay loam for years - and it's perfect!
We had -8 C last year, and it was undamaged. Because of its close-together spines snails leave it alone - unlike many other Opuntias.
I like its bright colour and its long white spines - a handsome plant.

Also known as the Plains Prickly Pear cactus, it is one of the most cold-hardy cacti. It is adapted to the extended periods of freezing temperatures, and can be found in Canada from British Columbia to Ontario. It prefers dry hillsides and light soils, sand or clay. It has long spines, forms low-growing multi-branched clumps, and produces orange or yellow blooms in early July.

A friend of mine has one growing in next to his house in between the cracks of a concrete driveway. He has no idea how it got there, but it has come back every year and bloomed nicely. If that doesn't tell you how rugged it is, I don't know what will.